SHERRY ZAMEER Mobile- and e-health technology can drive efficiency, improve patient outcomes and boost preventative healthcare
The use of information technology- (IT-) driven innovations and Internet of Things (IoT) systems will help to combat and treat noncommunicable and communicable diseases, says digital security multinational Gemalto Commonwealth of Independent States, Middle East and Africa IoT solutions senior VP Sherry Zameer.
E-health can boost preventive healthcare through integration. The healthcare industry relies on an endless variety of medical devices to assess patient wellbeing.
Medical devices, generally, work as individual units measuring different aspects of patient health and providing healthcare providers with data to get a complete picture of overall health. Modern healthcare IT systems have improved and simplified this task by aggregating, visualising and managing patient data on Web-based medical platforms.
When this building block of e-health is in place, it has multiple benefits, he says.
“From the patient’s point of view, his or her medical record is a single series of sequential care events, regardless of where these events were performed.”
E-health will improve not only the healthcare industry but also the actions of individual citizens who can benefit from better care, when and where required, states Zameer.
However, technology does not have to be on a grand scale to provide effective preventive care, Zameer emphasises.
Artificial intelligence increasingly built into personal digital assistants, smart watches or fitness trackers help monitor wellbeing. The feedback they provide engages users, encouraging them to live better and become instrumental to preventive healthcare.
These miniature data acquisition systems use sensors to detect personal characteristics, analysing and presenting information in a useful way and encouraging individuals to initiate healthier lifestyles.
“They also provide medical professionals with data necessary to identify certain lifestyle disorders such as vitamin deficiencies, obesity and polycystic ovary syndrome [as well as] cardiovascular health,” he explains.
With chronic conditions like obesity, diabetes and heart disease in South Africa, improved ways of combating and controlling noncommunicable diseases are essential.
However, medical records are highly confidential and need the highest levels of security. Therefore, a trusted digital identity needs to be established for patients in the healthcare system. A trusted digital identity is created when the patient is linked to his or her digital identity, which might be verified identity documents or biometrics.
Further, another technology that can support e-health is the IoT, which can enhance blockchain record keeping by leveraging mobile technology and enabling devices to automatically send real-time data to back-end IT systems through wireless networks.
“This technology, known as mHealth, is changing the medical industry by enabling new services, improving patient care and reducing time and cost inefficiencies,” says Zameer.
Just as smartphones and tablets have changed consumer lifestyles, mHealth promises to improve patient care shorten hospital stays and promote healthier lifestyles. It does this through the power of information and making that information available to those who need it, when they need it.
“It is a technological development that complements widespread cellular coverage and developments in healthcare technology, which have made it possible to assist patients who require constant care, such as Alzheimer’s, autism and other special needs patients,” he adds.